The Contrarians

Perhaps it’s a blessing in disguise that Quentin Tarantino was forced to split KILL BILL in two, since it’s hard to imagine both volumes holding together as a single movie - and some would argue they barely hold together as a two-parter. Is that an actual concern when it comes to appreciating Volume 2? Alex, Julio, and Chas have different experiences (with overlaps) when it comes to the second hal...

It took us almost ten years to make it to 200 (numbered) episodes. It feels like it took The Bride almost as long to finally get to Bill. KILL BILL VOLUME 2 presents Tarantino fans with a conundrum: if you liked Volume 1, you’re out of luck because this one is nothing like it. And if you liked Tarantino’s more “traditional” work, this isn’t as good as his first three movies. But it’s still fresh o...

It’s quite a different experience, appreciating KILL BILL: VOLUME 1 as the most recent Quentin Tarantino outing, versus watching it as the fourth of nine movies in his filmography. Has time and an expanded context softened Alex’s stance when it comes to The Bride’s adventures? Has Julio been overrating the first Kill Bill for almost twenty years? Has Chas’ unexpected clash with Tarantino over his...

The fourth film from Quentin Tarantino was a left turn in a career that so far had given us verbose bank robbers, verbose gangsters, and verbose, um, flight attendants turned money launderers? QT zigged by giving us wall-to-wall soulless Uma Thurman action in a homage to the kung-fu movies he watched instead of going to film school. Critics loved it, not caring that it didn’t even have a proper en...

Well, this episode features two hardcore FRIDAY THE 13TH fans and someone who doesn’t even care for horror movies most of the time. Get ready for some contention now that we are in the Real Talk part of the show! How does each of us react to the idea that maybe the 2009 Jason Voorhees adventure was aimed at potential new fans, so old fans need to calm down? Can we at least agree that Supernatural’...

Can you believe it’s been 15 years since the last FRIDAY THE 13TH theatrical release? Apparently, critics and audiences had issues with an installment of the franchise that actually took itself seriously. Listen to Alex & Julio, joined by Stew from the Stew World Order podcast, as they re-evaluate the battle between Sam Winchester and Jason Voorhees, and praise the much-needed polish of this 2...

Hey, we are both Seinfeld appreciators. So that should be a starting point with DUNSTON CHECKS IN, right? How do we truly feel about Jason Alexander’s leading man capabilities, especially in the context of a kids movie? And what’s our tolerance level when it comes to Dunston himself? Can our love for the 90s help us connect to this movie or is this Real Talk mostly going to be about how we just do...

As we race toward our 200th episode, it’s time to get into some monkey business. Some 90s Monkey Business even. How many Jason Alexander starring vehicles can you name? How many of them feature an adorable ape as his co-star? Listen to Alex & Julio as they scoff at DUNSTON CHECKS IN’s appalling 17% Tomatometer score! Marvel at Faye Danaway’s career reinvention! Applaud Rupert Everett’s fearles...

Did the plot holes and plot contrivances in YOUR NAME bother us as much as we expressed during Contrarians Corner? Are we immune to the charms of anime, or maybe just not receptive to modern anime? Was this a good entry point into Japanese animation for Alex and can Julio stop comparing it to a Studio Ghibli production? All this and more on this Real Talk segment! TIMELINE 00:00:54 Now on Patreon...

Japanese animation: The Final Frontier! Or at least you would think so, considering how long it has taken The Contrarians to tackle anime on the show. Join Alex & Julio as they travel back to 2016, to pick apart YOUR NAME - a movie celebrated by anyone who has not seen Freaky Friday! Let’s answer the question on everyone’s minds: do you even have to bother if a Japanese animated movie isn’t di...

Look, Brian De Palma is still making movies. But yes, they are not the Hollywood productions of his heyday. Was his fall from grace inevitable, and, more importantly, deserved? Is THE BLACK DAHLIA as bad as people say? Or in fact, could THE BLACK DAHLIA be actually as good as we said it was in Contrarians Corner? This Real Talk segment dives into those questions and more! (like a quick read of the...

It’s been 17 years since Brian De Palma took a James Ellroy novel, called up emerging superstars Josh Hartnett, Aaron Eckhart, Scarlett Johansson, and Hillary Swank and said, hey, let’s put on a noir show. Critics hated it, audiences avoided it, and De Palma hasn’t made a major studio film since. Listen to Alex & Julio as they rediscover THE BLACK DAHLIA and try to restore its extremely tarnis...

With the Contrarians gimmick set aside, this Real Talk segment features a wide range of opinions regarding Nicolas Winding Refn and his work. Longtime listeners know how Alex feels about Drive and The Neon Demon — or at least how he felt before this rewatch. And we’ve hinted to Ryan’s actual Neon Demon feelings fairly strongly. But that’s only half the panel, and that alone already gives us all pl...

Nicolas Winding Refn was in a pretty awkward place after releasing Only God Forgives. The popularity he amassed when he made Drive seemed to implode with the follow-up. So what did he do? He doubled down on the weirdness and released a biting, irreverent satire about the L.A. modeling scene. Listen to Alex & Julio discuss THE NEON DEMON with the help of Ryan & Bartek from the Spit & Po...

Once again, we are starting the new year with a Denzel Washington movie. RICOCHET may divide the Contrarians far more than The Bone Collector did, however. How do Alex & Julio truly feel about this hidden gem/stain in Denzel’s filmography? Can at least one of them appreciate the fun trashiness of Steven de Souza’s screenplay? And we all know Kevin Pollak doesn’t know how to die on screen convi...

Imagine you are a young Denzel Washington and you just won your first Oscar. How do you show Hollywood you are not a one-hit wonder? Somehow, Denzel thought the answer was to face off against a predictably deranged John Lithgow in a schlocky thriller. And, based on RICOCHET’s fresh Tomatometer score, it worked! Listen to Alex & Julio as they pick apart yet another Steven de Souza extravaganza...

So, as of this posting, it’s basically impossible to stream DROP DEAD GORGEOUS in the U.S. Is that reflective of its quality, its controversial sense of humor, or both? Alex has been enthusiastic about the movie ever since he found out it was on the schedule, but will Julio share that excitement now that we are being serious? And is it easier to navigate the potentially problematic comedic element...

Middle America exposed!!! And before the MAGA years, mind you. Unsurprisingly, this didn’t go over particularly well with conservative critics, and so DROP DEAD GORGEOUS’ Tomatometer score is divisive at best. Listen to Alex & Julio as they celebrate the rare mockumentary that’s not a Christopher Guest product: an incisive look at the beauty pageants industry, and a showcase for an all-star ca...

You could make an argument that none of the players involved in JERRY MAGUIRE have ever been better. Tom Cruise, Renée Zellweger, Cuba Gooding Jr., Cameron Crowe… forget whatever acclaim they garnered in the future, maybe this rom-sports-com is where they peaked. Or maybe not. Maybe at least one of The Contrarians is too close to this film to judge it objectively. Listen to this Real Talk segment...

Hey, look, it’s Hollywood mega-star Tom Cruise trying to play a regular guy. Wonder if movie critics will fall for it? Of course they did! JERRY MAGUIRE is fresh on the Tomatometer despite being among the worst examples of Cameron Crowe’s mannered dialogue and overproduced soundtracks. Listen to Alex & Julio as they try to figure out what exactly is Jerry so bummed about, and as they refuse to...

Okay, let’s get serious about The Flintstones - because apparently that’s how the world has decided we must judge this 1994 live-action adaptation. Is there a silent majority that thinks this movie is good and has the internet’s echo chamber fed the Tomatometer in this instance? Can we all at least agree that Halle Berry and Kyle MacLachlan are STUNNING in their prehistoric pelts? And how do The C...

You know we are too far gone as a society when we can’t appreciate the beauty of a perfect Flintstones live-action adaptation. We dare you, all of you, to propose a better cast. This was it: there won’t be a better Fred than John Goodman. And if anybody was ever going to crack the puzzle of Barney Rubble’s character, it would be Rick Moranis. But critics had to turn on the movie and now it’s infam...

By now, we know that THE SUICIDE SQUAD was basically James Gunn’s DCEU audition - one that he passed with flying colors. Would we have given him the job though? As you would expect, this Real Talk segment sees Alex struggling with his love for John Cena versus his aversion to movies that run over two hours - plus finally assimilating Margot Robbie’s performance as Harley Quinn. As for Julio, well,...

We used to wait at least a decade before giving a failed adaptation another shot at being reimagined. Now we pump out remakes, reboots, and requels faster than WB can shelve them. And that’s how we ended up with a SUICIDE SQUAD sort-of-sequel that didn’t even bother to change its title all that much. Listen to Alex & Julio as they try to make sense of James Gunn’s DC cover of Guardians of the...

So here we are: Julia Roberts finally got her Oscar, three nominations in. But did she get it for the right movie? Would we still be talking about ERIN BROCKOVICH (those of us who still are) if it wasn’t known as Julia’s Oscar Win? And moving past the awards - how does this modern-day fairy tale hold up today, especially when touting it’s a true story? Lots to talk about in this Real Talk segment,...